Shaner, Alexandria

Shaner, Alexandria

Alexandria Shaner

28 March 2023Blog

'Sometimes refusing to fight is the bravest and most effective action one can take for peace and justice'

It’s been 20 years since the lies and obfuscation that led to the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. I’m about to turn 37 and it hit me: those events 20 years ago were how I began my political journey, though I didn't know it at the time. As a progressive activist, one doesn't easily lead with: 'As a teenager, I joined the Marines'... but I did.

At the intersection of my life as a high school kid living just outside NYC during 9/11 and the…